GOG will bring classic PC games to Linux this fall

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GOG.com, a site that specializes in selling classic PC games for modern computers, has decided to support Linux after all.

GOG says it has been working on Linux support for the last few months, and will add support for the Ubuntu and Mint Linux distributions this fall with at least 100 games at launch. This not only includes classic games that ran on Linux originally, but games that never had official Linux support to begin with.

Last September, GOG spokesman Trevor Longino said the company wasn't planning to offer Linux support. He told GamingOnLinux that the “architecture of Linux, with many common distros, each of them updating fairly often,” would make it Linux support incredibly difficult without sacrificing customer service.

“Sure, we could probably release a client and sell the games and let Linux users worry about the rest,” Longino said. “We don't consider it, however, a viable option for the business model we have followed so far.”

However, that statement came just a few weeks before Valve announced SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system for games that will run on Steam Machine consoles later this year. Linux support among indie developers has ramped up over the last year , though Valve is still trying to get larger publishers on board.

GOG's Linux announcement says nothing about Valve and SteamOS, but the timing is certainly curious. SteamOS will be an open platform, and users who purchase DRM-free games through GOG may want to play those games on their Linux-based consoles. It's not hard to imagine GOG coming up with a solution by the time the first Steam Machines arrive later this year.

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Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV.